This is a review of the Magellan TRX7 CS Pro GPS navigator.
Smartphone and tablet GPS apps currently dominate the off road playing field. And why not, we take our phones everywhere we go. Is there still room for a standalone off road GPS system? We think so.
Recently, Magellan sent us a copy of their latest system, the TRX7 CS Pro with trail and street GPS function and rear mount camera, the following are our initial thoughts.
Installation was quick and easy, we were up and running in less than ten minutes. The TRX7 comes with a RAM dual mount system that we paired with our Expedition Essentials RAM PAM dash mount. We found that the light weight Magellan unit was rock solid and did not move or shake at all while trail riding. The GPS unit also comes with a suction cup for mounting to the windshield as well as a 1'-1.25” bar mount. Charging is handled via a generously long USB cable which we also plugged into the RAM PAM (a cigarette lighter adaptor and 120V wall adaptor are also included).
The TRX7 fired up after about as quick as you’d expect from a modern tablet and acquired GPS satellites within a few seconds. All features are available via the 7” touchscreen and are highly intuitive. I’m getting to the point in my life where I’m beginning to understand my grandparent’s frustration with programming VCR’s, yet I had no trouble accessing the built in features without reading any instructions.
I did not record any tracks to share as we don’t share our favorite spots, but I can tell you that it’s easy to do. Honestly, the TRX7 as simple as using a smartphone. Preloaded trails can be accessed by typing in the search bar or simply exploring the 3D/2D map. This was helpful as we are still fairly new to the PNW and it was nice to see so many trails relatively close to home.
Features
The 7”, touch screen, Android based tablet is wrapped in a ruggedized IP54 casing to protect it from water and dust incursion. There is also a built-in rear facing camera, but we didn’t test this feature as the unit was mounted too low on the dashboard of our RAM to see anything.
The Magellan TRX7 provides GPS directions to the trail as well as online, with over 160, 000 preloaded designated OHV routes. There is also an online community for sharing and discovering crowd-sourced tracks. The backtrack button gave us peace of mind since we have a two and four year old that would not do well if they were stuck in the truck longer than expected.
We found the waypoint audio recording feature was fun to leave notes when we found somewhere we’d like to return and wanted to be more specific than adding a photo or one of Magellan’s custom markers. At one point, we found ourselves parked beside a field of wildflowers surrounded on three sides by a cliff edge with panoramic views of the nearby mountains. It was far too early to setup camp, but I was able to save an audio note and a photo … definitely headed back there in the future.
Final Thoughts
All in all, we found the this little TRX7 to be packed with many useful features and intuitive controls. The ability to save audio notes was our favorite way to save camp highlights and photography opportunities (hopefully the weather will be clearer when we return).
What’s in the box?
Photo credit: Magellan
For more information on the Magellan TRX7 CS, visit www.magellangps.com
